In this modern age, everything needs to be made into a franchise. By some luck, the Tony-winning musical Dear Evan Hansen has taken advantage of its popularity in some profound ways. From inescapable covers of the hit "You Will Be Found" to a divisive film, the story has been everywhere. In one of the stranger moves, they even have moved into the world of young adult fiction, having Val Emmich expand upon the original story by Steven Levenson. Given that Broadway shows cater to exclusivity, it's interesting to see them spread themselves this thin. Though the question comes back to is this any good? Was this even necessary? To be totally honest, it's one of the rare shows that feels catered to the Y.A. genre and thus its transition isn't totally egregious. It may not be a work that overshadows the original, but for hardcore fans, it's something worth considering.
In a majority of ways, the song remains the same. Those familiar with the show will recognize the significant plot beats playing out in ways not unlike the show. Evan Hansen is still a neurotic kid trying to escape a lie that got out of hand. He's still going to give a viral speech at some point and climb trees. Even memorable jokes from the show (such as Jared being a "family friend") are in the text verbatim. With exception to all except two songs, the songbook is missing and replaced with more explanatory scenes. They're all there. In most cases they even feel a bit more underwhelming when written as pure action. If nothing else, that informs what makes a musical form so appealing in the first place, so alive with making the everyday feel extraordinary.
Even then, Dear Evan Hansen the show versus the book differs in form. The stage is more of an abstract, minimalist thing with limited supporting cast members. Even at its most insular, there's not enough time to spend long pondering the subtext of every action, to question what drives Evan. In that regard, the book is a welcomed addition. From the opening chapter, the reader gets a stronger sense of who Evan is on the inside, able to comment on how he feels about his words. Some of it may be cloying and obvious, but it does build a portrait that in the long run makes the story something special. It's a journey into the self and in some ways allows him to be more sympathetic, to have the clumsy progression of events have more reasoning. Again, the necessity of this is up for debate, but as a standalone novel it's effective.
Even the addition of Connor Murphy chapters presents something new to the world. It allows the experience to expand to his internal monologue for the first time. He's able to escape the fabrication that made every other interpretation feel ambiguous. It may at times play like novelty, more connective tissue for stray scenes, but towards the end it allows Connor to feel like his own being. In a twist that may or may not add anything to the greater narrative, Connor has a boyfriend that is mostly alluded to but never given a chance to be something more within Evan's story. Maybe that's Emmich's point. After all, nobody knew Connor it turns out. He remains unknown, making him an easy target for people to apply their own emotions onto. It's what's brilliant about the bigger story in any form, though Emmich taking this swing works for the most part.
The biggest defense that this story has for its existence is that Dear Evan Hansen as a property is sold on its important discussion of mental health. The idea of spreading it to stage, screen, and novels feels like a more sincere agenda, allowing people from every background to get a chance to hear his story. In some ways, Emmich's take is the most accessible not just because books have wider reach, but because of the prose and how Evan is allowed to have a bigger story, where he goes to therapy and contemplates his own anxiousness. He feels the most like a teenager in those pages. It may lack the fun songbook, but there's an honesty to it that allows the story to reach an audience when the show's not touring in their town. It tears away the showmanship and replaces it with honest emotion and discussions. It's arguably inferior, but not totally inessential.
"Dear Evan Hansen: The Novel" should feel more like a novelty. For something that borrows heavily from the stage show, it's intriguing to know how it works around its limitations and creates a richer, more lived in world. Only on the page could certain ideas be explored to a fuller potential, allowing the reader to have an insular peek into the characters that is more relatable. Everything feels purposeful. While it's very much a Y.A. novel that has at times a familiar earnestness, there's something affecting about it for those who accept it as a character study. In some ways, it validates the arcs more, giving Evan more than sweaty palms and a signed cast. It allows this story to escape the fantasy and feel real, making one consider perspectives beyond their own. It's a richer story and one that'll appeal to fans curious to spend more time with this story and find their own comfort in feeling misunderstood and in search of greater meaning in their own life .
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